This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-331126, filed Oct. 30, 2000, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a suspension for disc drive incorporated in an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer.
A hard disc drive (HDD) for recording in and reading information from a rotating magnetic disc or magneto-optical disc includes a carriage that can turn around a shaft. The carriage is rotated around the shaft by means of a positioning motor. The carriage is provided with an arm (actuator arm), a suspension mounted on the distal end portion of the arm, a head portion including a slider mounted on the suspension, etc.
When the disc rotates, the slider on the distal end portion of the suspension slightly lifts off the disc surface, whereupon an air bearing is formed between the disc and the slider. The suspension comprises a base portion including a base plate, a beam portion formed of a precision plate spring, a flexure fixed to the beam portion by laser welding or the like, etc.
As in the case of a suspension 1 shown in FIG. 5, a swing of a flexure 4 is proposed to be restrained by means of a limiter 3 that is attached to a beam portion 2. The limiter 3 includes a pair of arm portions 5 extending forward from the opposite sides of the distal end portion of the beam portion 2, bent portions 6 bent substantially at right angles in the thickness direction of the beam portion 2 from outside portions 5a of the respective distal ends of the arm portions 5, individually, and opposite portions 7 extending rearward from the respective distal ends of the bent portions 6 and facing to-be-supported portions 4a of the flexure 4, individually. As the to-be-supported portions 4a of the flexure 4 are inserted into spaces between the arm portions 5 and the opposite portions 7, the flexure 4 is restrained from swinging.
The flexure 4 includes a slider mounting portion 4b for mounting a slider. A terminal of a wiring portion is bonded to a terminal of the slider that is fixed to the slider mounting portion 4b. In this bonding process, a bonding jig is inserted into an aperture 8 between the arm portions 5. In the suspension 1 that is provided with the conventional limiter 3, however, a width A of the aperture 8 is much shorter than a substantial width B of the limiter 3. Inevitably, therefore, jigs that can be inserted into the aperture 8 are limited in size.
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a suspension for disc drive with a limiter that can be formed having an aperture wide enough to receive a bonding jig.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a suspension for disc drive, which comprises a beam portion, a flexure attached to the beam portion so as to be superposed thereon and having a slider mounting portion fitted with a slider, a wiring portion connected to the slider, and a limiter for restraining a swing of the flexure. In this suspension, the limiter includes a pair of arm portions projecting outside to-be-supported portions of the flexure from the opposite sides of the distal end portion of the beam portion, extending ahead of the to-be-supported portions, and facing the respective one-side surfaces of the to-be-supported portions, individually, an aperture formed between the arm portions and wide enough to receive a jig used in connecting the wiring portion to the slider, bent portions bent in the thickness direction of the beam portion so as to be directed from the one-side surfaces of the to-be-supported portions toward the other-side surfaces at the respective distal ends of the arm portions, individually, and opposite portions extending rearward from the respective distal ends of the bent portions and facing the respective other-side surfaces of the to-be-supported portions, individually. The to-be-supported portions described herein are portions that are touched by the limiter when the flexure swings excessively.
In connecting the slider and the wiring portion, the bonding jig is inserted through the aperture between the arm portions of the limiter, so that a bonding process is carried out with the slider mounting portion of the flexure supported by means of the jig. The limiter may be a component that is formed independently of the beam portion and mounted on the beam portion. Preferably, however, the limiter should be formed integrally with the beam portion to reduce the number of components used in the suspension and the required man-hours for assembly.
According to the present invention, the swing of the flexure can be restrained by means of the limiter that is attached to the beam portion, and the wide aperture can be formed between the arm portions of the limiter. Accordingly, restrictions on the size of the bonding jig to be inserted toward the slider mounting portion of the slider through the aperture can be eased.
The suspension of the invention may further comprise a base portion and a hinge member located between the base portion and the beam portion and springy enough to bend in the thickness direction of the beam portion.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.